1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to assistance devices for pipe smokers. More particularly, the present invention pertains to tamping devices to assist pipe smokers. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns a combined tamping and bowl cleaning device for use by pipe smokers.
2. Prior Art
The prior art has proposed various devices to assist the pipe smoker in both tamping the tobacco maintained within the bowl as well as for cleaning the bowl, itself. See, inter alia, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,648,454; 1,519,955; 3,263,690; 2,041,469 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 107,147.
Inherently, the prior art devices are intended to be carried by the pipe in some manner.
However, even when the devices of the prior art are incorporated with and/or carried by the pipe, per se, there is still the inherent problem of maintaining the bowl in an upright position when not in use. As is known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, ordinarily, when a pipe is placed at rest it is either placed in a stand or it must be held in an upright position. This is extremely disadvantageous, especially, when the pipe has been in use for a considerable period of time and the heat generated thereby makes it difficult to hold. This is also true during normal usage of the pipe. The art has, heretofore, previously proposed solutions to alleviate this. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 994,913 and 1,883,178. However, these prior art devices are unable to incorporate other pipe smoking accountrements thereinto.
The present invention, as will subsequently be detailed, provides a device which both assists in the tamping of tobacco within the bowl of the pipe as well as in cleaning the bowl, while, at the same time, providing a means whereby the pipe bowl can be maintained in a vertical orientation when not in use.